Car safety & restraint

The dog: An unrestrained dog becomes a projectile. Even a survivable crash is often not survivable for them.

The people: That same dog hits a person at the same force. This is the part nobody considers.

Afterwards: A frightened, injured dog escapes through a broken window and is lost on a highway, or bites a first responder trying to help. Both are common.

There is no federal standard for pet restraints, so any product can print ‘crash tested’ on the box and mean nothing by it. The meaningful signal is independent testing — the Center for Pet Safety is the non-profit that publishes its protocols and results. Look for products certified by them rather than for the words on the packaging.

· A crash-tested crate, strapped or bolted down, is the safest option for most dogs. An unsecured crate is itself a projectile.
· A crash-tested harness attached to the seatbelt system is the practical option for most cars — look for one tested as a restraint rather than a walking harness with a loop added.
· A crash-tested carrier secured by the seatbelt, for small dogs.
· Back seat or cargo area only. Front airbags deploy hard enough to kill a dog.
· A barrier keeps a dog out of the front but does NOT restrain them in a crash. It is a convenience, not a safety device.

· A leash clipped to a seatbelt — in a crash this concentrates the entire force on the neck
· A walking harness with a seatbelt loop, unless it has actually been crash tested
· A dog on a lap, which is dangerous to the dog, the driver and the airbag
· A dog in an open truck bed, which is illegal in several states and catastrophic in any swerve
· A soft-sided crate, which offers no crash protection

Small-dog booster seats are popular and most are comfort products rather than safety ones. If you use one, it must be secured by the seatbelt AND the dog must be in a crash-tested harness clipped to a tether — the basket alone restrains nothing.

· Heat. A parked car reaches lethal temperatures within minutes even on a mild day, even in shade, even with windows cracked. There is no safe version of leaving them.
· Head out of the window is how eye injuries and ear damage happen. Goggles exist if they love it that much.
· Motion sickness is often fear rather than balance — see car travel and motion sickness.
· A dog loose in a footwell can jam the pedals.

The most important items cost nothing: back seat, never left alone, and never a leash clipped to a seatbelt.

· Center for Pet Safety (centerforpetsafety.org) — the independent non-profit that publishes crash test protocols and certification
· American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org) — travel safety
· State law varies on restraint requirements — check your own state's statute